US-20260126184-A1 - ONE CHANNEL DESIGN TO AVOID STEAM LEAKAGE

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a cooking cavity and a steam generator that is configured to introduce steam into the cooking cavity. The cooking appliance further includes a vent assembly in fluid communication with the cooking cavity and a space outside the cooking appliance. Air from the cooking cavity may flow through a steam-absorbing filter to remove at least some steam before the air exits to a space outside the cooking appliance.

Inventors

• Lin Ge
• Xiangxu Liu
• Xin Li
• Jianan Hu

Assignees

• WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251031

Priority Date

20241107

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A cooking appliance comprising: a cooking cavity; a steam generator that is configured to introduce steam into the cooking cavity when the steam generator is activated; and: a vent assembly including: at least one inlet in fluid communication with the cooking cavity; at least one outlet in fluid communication with a space outside the cooking appliance; a first air passageway coupled to the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet; a second air passageway coupled to the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet; a steam-absorbing filter disposed in the first air passageway; and: a valve defining first and second states, wherein the valve is configured to direct air from the at least one inlet through the first passageway to the at least one outlet when the valve is in the first state, and to direct air from the at least one inlet through the second passageway to the at least one outlet when the valve is in the second state, and wherein the cooking appliance is configured to cause the valve to be in the first state when steam generator is activated.
2. 2 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , including: a controller that is configured to cause the valve to be in the first state when the steam generator is activated.
3. 3 . The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve to be in the first state for a period of time after the steam generator is deactivated.
4. 4 . The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein: the controller is configured to delay causing the valve to change from the second state to the first state after the steam generator is activated.
5. 5 . The cooking appliance of claim 4 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve to be in the second state only when the steam generator is deactivated.
6. 6 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve to be in the first state if a sufficient amount of steam is present in the cooking cavity according to predefined criteria.
7. 7 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein: the filter comprises a high-density filter.
8. 8 . The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein: the inlet comprises a first inlet; the second air passageway includes a second inlet that is coupled to the first air passageway at a location that is downstream from the first inlet; and wherein: the valve closes off the second inlet when the valve is in the second state whereby air from the first inlet cannot enter the second inlet.
9. 9 . The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein: the valve closes off the first air passageway adjacent to the second inlet when the valve is in the first state whereby air from the first inlet enters the second inlet.
10. 10 . A cooking appliance comprising: a controller; a first air passageway that is configured to be in fluid communication with the cooking cavity and with a space outside the cooking appliance; a second air passageway that is configured to be in fluid communication with the cooking cavity and with the space outside the cooking appliance; a high density filter disposed in the first air passageway, wherein the high density filter is configured to absorb steam, whereby the high density filter removes at least some steam from air flowing through the first air passageway; and a valve assembly that is configured to direct air from the cooking cavity through the first air passageway to the space outside the cooking appliance when the valve assembly is in a first configuration, and to direct air from the cooking cavity through the second air passageway to the space outside the cooking appliance when the valve assembly is in a second configuration, and wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve assembly to be in the first configuration when steam from the steam generator is present in the cooking cavity.
11. 11 . The cooking appliance of claim 10 , including: an inlet in fluid communication with the cooking cavity; an outlet in fluid communication with the space outside the cooking appliance; and wherein: at least one of the first and second air passageways is fluidly coupled to the inlet and the outlet.
12. 12 . The cooking appliance of claim 11 , wherein: the first and second air passageways are fluidly coupled to the inlet and the outlet.
13. 13 . The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein: the valve assembly comprises a valve defining first and second positions, wherein the valve: 1) directs air from the inlet through the first air passageway when the valve is in the first position, and: 2) directs air from the inlet through the second air passageway when the valve is in the second position.
14. 14 . The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve assembly to be in the first configuration when the steam generator is actuated.
15. 15 . The cooking appliance of claim 14 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve assembly to be in the first configuration for a period of time after the steam generator is deactivated.
16. 16 . The cooking appliance of claim 15 , wherein: the controller is configured to cause the valve assembly to change from the second configuration to the first configuration based, at least in part, on actuation of the steam generator.
17. 17 . A method of controlling airflow from a cooking cavity of a cooking appliance to a space outside the cooking appliance, the method comprising: determining if steam is present in air in the cooking cavity; causing air to flow from the cooking cavity through a first air passageway and through a steam-absorbing filter to the space outside the cooking appliance when steam is present in air in the cooking cavity; and: causing air to flow from the cooking cavity through a second air passageway to the space outside the cooking appliance when steam is not present in air in the cooking cavity.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , including: utilizing a valve to cause air to flow through a selected one of the first and second air passageways.
19. 19 . The method of claim 18 , including: causing the valve to direct air from an inlet that is fluidly coupled to the cooking cavity through the first passageway to an outlet when the valve is in a first state; and: causing the valve to direct air from the inlet through the second passageway to an outlet when the valve is in a second state.
20. 20 . The method of claim 19 , including: causing the valve to be in the first state when a steam generator of the cooking appliance is activated.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to International Application No. PCT/CN2024/130416, filed on Nov. 7, 2024, entitled “ONE CHANNEL DESIGN TO AVOID STEAM LEAKAGE,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure generally relates to a vent assembly for a cooking appliance, the vent assembly is configured to remove at least some steam from air flowing through the vent assembly. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE A cooking appliance according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a cooking cavity and a steam generator that is configured to introduce steam into the cooking cavity when the steam generator is activated. The cooking appliance further includes a vent assembly, the vent assembly including at least one inlet in fluid communication with the cooking cavity, and at least one outlet in fluid communication with a space outside the cooking appliance. A first air passageway is coupled to the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet, and a second air passageway is also coupled to the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet. A steam-absorbing filter is disposed in the first air passageway. The vent assembly further includes a valve defining first and second states. The valve is configured to direct air from the at least one inlet through the first passageway to the at least one outlet when the valve is in the first state, and the valve is configured to direct air from the at least one inlet through the second passageway to the at least one outlet when the valve is in the second state. The cooking appliance is configured to cause the valve to be in the first state when the steam generator is activated. Another aspect of the present disclosure is a cooking appliance having a cooking cavity and a steam generator that is configured to introduce steam into the cooking cavity when the steam generator is activated. The cooking appliance further includes a controller. The cooking appliance also includes a first air passageway that is configured to be in fluid communication with the cooking cavity and with a space outside the cooking appliance, and a second air passageway that is configured to be in fluid communication with the cooking cavity and with a space outside the cooking appliance. The cooking appliance further includes a high density filter disposed in the first air passageway. The high density filter is configured to absorb steam, whereby the high density filter removes at least some steam from air flowing through the first air passageway. The cooking appliance further includes a valve assembly that is configured to direct air from the cooking cavity through the first air passageway to a space outside the cooking appliance when the valve assembly is in a first configuration, and to direct air from the cooking cavity through the second air passageway to a space outside the cooking appliance when the valve assembly is in a second configuration. The controller is configured to cause the valve assembly to be in the first configuration when steam from the steam generator is present in the cooking cavity. Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of controlling airflow from a cooking cavity of a cooking appliance to a space outside the cooking appliance. The method includes causing air to flow from the cooking cavity through a first air passageway and through a steam-absorbing filter to a space outside the cooking appliance when steam is present in air in the cooking cavity. The method includes causing air to flow from the cooking cavity through a second air passageway to a space outside the cooking appliance when steam is not present in air in the cooking cavity. These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a partially fragmentary perspective view of a cooking appliance according to an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance of FIG. 1 taken along the line II-II; FIG. 3 is a partially fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion of the cooking appliance of FIGS. 1 and 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vent assembly according to an aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vent assembly of FIG. 4. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to an apparatus component related to a cooking appliance. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the